The first mild surprise came to the youth when, on coming close to the smouldering camp fire, he failed to see Nick. He expected to find him resting comfortably near at hand, swathed in one of the thick blankets capable of shutting out every kind of cold except that of a norther, which will force its way through almost anything.
Stepping forward into the light of the fire, Herbert looked inquiringly around in the gloom, and called the name of his friend,[142] repeating it several times with increasing loudness, but with no more result than in the first instance. Then the youth started out to investigate for himself.
The discovery that followed was startling. Not only Nick Ribsam, but his horse, the two pack animals and the pony2 belonging to Herbert, were missing! They were nowhere in the neighborhood.
The youth was knocked almost breathless. He came back beside the smouldering fire and tried to reason connectedly over the situation.
“This is ahead of everything yet,” he said to himself; “it begins to look as if all actions are tinged3 with mystery. Nick and I couldn’t understand why Strubell and Lattin should act as they did this afternoon, but I am not half as much mystified over that as over this. Nick and all the horses gone. What can it mean?”
“All that is left me, besides my weapon,” he added with grim feeling, “is my field glass, but I don’t need that to see what a fix I’m in, and yet I am more worried about Nick than myself——”
[143]
He thought he heard a footfall from the direction of the fork of the trails. Grasping his Winchester he moved silently back in the gloom, where he could not be seen by any lurking4 Indian or white enemy.
“It is Nick returning,” was his thought, as he recognized the hoofs5 of an animal.
The next minute his own pony, saddled and bridled6, as when he last saw him, walked forward in the firelight and uttered a faint whinny of pleasure at sight of his master.
“Heaven bless you!” was the grateful exclamation8 of Herbert as he met him and patted his neck; “I feared you were gone for good; but, Jill, how I wish you could talk that you might tell me all about Nick and the other horses.”
To say the least, the pony had behaved himself in a singular fashion. I have told how he was driven along by the norther until he passed beyond the fork in the trails, Nick Ribsam catching9 the faint footfalls as he applied10 his ear to the ground, which told him the beast was receding11.
No doubt there crept into the brain of this[144] sagacious animal a conviction that he was not doing precisely12 the right thing in wandering away from the spot where his master had left him, and where, of course, he expected to find him on his return.
In addition, the norther, that had brought about this breach13 of confidence, subsided14 to that extent that it was no hardship to face it. This subsidence, however, did not reach a degree that suited Jill until he had drifted off for a considerable while. Then he began edging backward, and, possibly because he divined the intentions of Herbert, he followed the main trail until he joined his master at the camp fire.
Among the many extraordinary incidents which attended the tour of Nick and Herbert through the Southwest, probably there was none more remarkable15 than the action of the pony Jill and the consequences flowing therefrom. He drifted away from the scene of several singular events and remained absent until they were finished. Then he came back, and had he been a little later or earlier, the whole face of history might have been changed—that[145] is, so far as it related to the youths I have named.
Having regained16 his pony, Herbert was as much perplexed17 as ever. It was an invaluable18 piece of good fortune thus securing his horse, for a person on the plains without a good steed is in the situation of the sailor without boat or ship on the ocean; but he was totally at a loss how to proceed.
The most obvious course was to stay where he was until morning, or until some kind of knowledge came to him. The Texans had promised to join him and Nick by daylight and probably before, and it would not require them long to decide upon the best line to follow. If Nick had set out along the lower trail to search for him, he must have learned of his mistake before this; and, though it was curious that the friends had not met, the younger ought to return to his own camp fire whither he had summoned Herbert hours before.
The disquieting19 factor in the situation was the absence of the animals, and the return of his own; for Herbert could not be expected to[146] know all about the action of Jill in his encounter with the norther.
He soon became satisfied that a long wait was before him. Accordingly, the saddle and bridle7 were removed from the pony, that he might be free to crop the grass within reach, while his owner spent considerable time in gathering20 wood with which to keep the fire going. There was only a small supply of fuel on hand, and this work was necessary, therefore, on his part.
The weather had moderated to the extent that it was much the same as before the norther swept through the hills. The blaze was not needed, except for its aid in dispelling21 the oppressive gloom.
Herbert was seated near the fire, and had just looked at his watch and seen that it was past eleven o’clock, when he was alarmed by several discharges of rifles. They were dull, but loud enough to prevent any mistake as to their nature. The direction, too, was easily recognized as being from the other side of the ridge22.
“Nick and I were right,” he said, listening[147] with a rapidly beating heart; “Strubell and Lattin are having a fight with the horse thieves—there they go again!”
Two reports in rapid succession were heard, and then came a third and fourth, followed after an interval23 of several minutes by other dropping shots. These were noticed, now and then, during the next hour, after which, so far as Herbert could judge, everything remained still.
Beyond question, he was right in his belief that a lively scrimmage had taken place between Bell Rickard, Jim-John the half-breed, and their companion on one side, and the Texans on the other. As to the result, no one could tell who was not present, until some one of the participants was seen.
Though much disturbed by his fear that the cowboys had suffered, a certain pleasure came to Herbert at this proof of the genuine hostility24 between his friends and the rogues25. It will be remembered that he had had troublesome misgivings26 in this respect. He felt there had been reason to doubt the honesty of Strubell and Lattin, and that, despite appearances,[148] an understanding existed between them and the criminals who were following them so persistently27.
The reports of the firearms disproved all this and showed beyond question that the Texans were good men, ready to defend their property and the youths with them, no matter how great the risks to themselves.
Herbert had decided28 to stay where he was until morning or some news of his friends reached him, and wait he did through the almost endless night. Toward daylight, he fell into a dreamful sleep, which lasted until the sun was above the horizon. Then he started up and stared around, a minute or two passing before he could recall all the incidents of the preceding night.
His horse had risen from the ground and was cropping the grass; the fire had smouldered to ashes, and the clear morning was as balmy and pleasant as its predecessor29. Neither Nick nor the Texans were in sight; but, determined30 to find out something for himself, he hurriedly saddled and bridled his pony and galloped31 down the trail.
“He reined32 up, and raised his field-glass to his eye.”
Page 149.
[149]
“They promised to be here before this,” he said, referring to Strubell and Lattin; “and they would have kept their word, if they had the power to do so. One, and perhaps both, have been killed, or so badly wounded that they cannot leave the battle ground.”
At the forks, the plain was so open to the westward33 that he reined up and raised his field glass to his eye. He had detected moving bodies in the distance, and the first view through the telescope showed them with great clearness.
A small party of horsemen were moving northward34, their animals on a walk. While studying them closely, Herbert’s attention was drawn35 to one in particular. He was riding on the extreme right, so that he was the nearest to him and was in plain sight.
A brief study of this figure left no doubt of the astounding36 fact that he was no other than the missing Nick Ribsam himself!
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1
diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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3
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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bridled
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| 给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 )； 控制； 昂首表示轻蔑（或怨忿等）； 动怒，生气 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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8
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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9
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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10
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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12
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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13
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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disquieting
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| adj.令人不安的，令人不平静的v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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20
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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dispelling
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的现在分词 ) | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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rogues
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| n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽 | |
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misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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28
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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31
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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32
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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33
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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34
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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35
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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